Chrome OS might be getting the Google Play Store shortly

Judging by the latest discoveries in Chrome OS, users of the operating system will soon be able to run the vast majority of Android apps thanks to the inclusion of the Google Play Store.

A Reddit user discovered that, in version 51 of Chrome OS, when you first open up the settings screen an option appears for a split second that says "Enable Android Apps to run on your Chromebook". The option disappears too quickly for users to actually enable the feature, but it gives a good indication of what is set to come to the OS very soon.

Digging into the code of Chrome OS reveals that when you enable the setting, a window appears that gives access to the Google Play Store on Chrome OS. It specifically says that users can "choose from over a million apps and games" to install on your Chromebook, indicating that most of the Android apps available in the store will work on Google's desktop OS.

Android apps have been able to run in the Chrome browser for over a year now thanks to Google's App Runtime for Chrome (ARC), albeit in an experimental way that's mostly designed for developers. On Chrome OS, it seems as if this technology is ready to expand beyond an experimental stage and easily allow anyone to run Android apps on the platform.

Naturally this is good news for those with Chromebooks, who have been restricted to using mostly web apps since the inception of Chrome OS. The ability to run Android apps will greatly enhance the functionality of the operating system, provided the compatibility and performance of apps designed for phones and tablets is up to scratch.